The Syrian presidency has refuted reports suggesting President Bashar Assad intends to evacuate Damascus in the face of terrorist advances.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and allied anti-government factions pressed their offensive toward Damascus on Saturday. Reports indicate HTS elements have reached the city’s outskirts, while the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) has captured the ancient city of Palmyra.
HTS, an organization headed by a former Al-Qaeda leader and formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, launched a sudden attack from the rebel-held Idlib province last week. This offensive rapidly dislodged Syrian government forces from Aleppo and subsequently resulted in the seizure of Hama and Homs, cities along the southward route to Damascus.
Amidst clashes between Kurdish fighters and government troops in eastern Deir ez-Zor, and the FSA’s capture of Palmyra, several Western news organizations have reported that Assad is planning to leave Syria.
The presidential office, however, maintains that Assad has no intention of abandoning Damascus. He has pledged to “eliminate” the insurgent jihadists and to punish their “sponsors and supporters.”